<
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/22/the-imfs-banal-language-is-sane-washing-an-economic-crisis-created-by-the-egomaniacal-donald-trump>
"This week the IMF released an update to its
World Economic Outlook, titled
“Global Economy: Steady amid Divergent Forces” and, seriously, in what fricking
world are they living? It was yet another example of international groups,
governments and parts of the media sane-washing the utter crisis we all exist
in because Donald Trump is an egomaniacal bully with the impulses of a spoiled
toddler.
How’s this for timing: on Sunday Donald Trump announced from 1 February he will
levy a 10% tariff “on any and all goods sent to the United States” from
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland,
and will increase it to 25% from 1 June unless they let the US gain control of
Greenland.
The next day the IMF released a report in which it noted that since October
2025 “trade tensions have continued to abate but remain subject to occasional
flare-ups”.
Flare-ups? Cripes. I guess the IMF could not write “the madman in the White
House hasn’t done anything lately, but you know he probably will because he is
deranged and could for example decide that he deserves Greenland because Norway
didn’t give him the Nobel peace prize.”
No one writes or says that. Everyone fudges around trying hard to suggest
things are normal. Americans being killed by roving gangs of
government-sanctioned thugs and Trump threatening to invoke the
Insurrection
Act is just worthy of a straight report. Heck, Donald Trump posting a photo of
himself sitting before a map showing the US flag on Venezuela, Canada and
Greenland is just Trump being Trump – a bit provocative, or even just
“trolling”.
Give me strength.
When did everyone become so utterly committed to ensuring gross acts of
violence and betrayal of international laws would be prettied up for easy
consumption?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
